Choricero peppers facts for kids

Pimiento peppers hanging from the outside of a house.

Choricero peppers (pronounced cho-ree-SAIR-oh) are a special type of red pepper from Spain. They are dried to help them last a long time. These peppers are a big part of Spanish cooking and culture. Sometimes, their soft inside pulp is even kept in jars just because it looks nice! A similar pepper, called peperoni cruschi, is grown in Italy.

How Are Choricero Peppers Used?

You might often see these peppers hanging in Spanish kitchens. Drying them out means they can be stored for much longer than fresh peppers. Before cooking, they are usually soaked in water for a few hours. This makes them soft again so you can easily get out their bright red pulp.

Choricero peppers have a strong, unique flavor. This makes them popular in many Spanish dishes. They are often used in stews with fish, vegetables, or meat. You can also grind the dried peppers into a powder, which is a type of paprika.

Popular Dishes with Choricero Peppers

Choricero peppers are key ingredients in several traditional Spanish recipes:

• They are a main part of salsa vizcaína, a special sauce. This sauce is the base for dishes like bacalao a la vizcaína (codfish in Vizcaína sauce) and marmitako (a tuna stew).
• These peppers are also used in sukalki, which is a tasty meat stew from the Basque region of Spain.

Bacalao a la Vizcaína in a sauce made of choricero peppers.

Choricero vs. Ñora Peppers

It's important not to confuse Choricero peppers with another dried Spanish pepper called ñora. Even though both are sun-dried peppers, they taste very different!

• Choricero peppers have a distinct, strong flavor.
• Ñora peppers are rounder, smaller, and have a sweeter taste.

Using the wrong pepper can change the flavor of a dish a lot, so chefs are careful to pick the right one!